


he's ruling like the great king he is, and he never knew it'd take so long

by lemonjarr



Series: the future is strange, but they think it's better [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, Oikawa Tooru's Knee Injury, Sadness, THATS A TAG??, Tags Are Hard, This is a series, Ugh, Wow, please do not kill me, thanks :), this fandom is obsessed with angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonjarr/pseuds/lemonjarr
Summary: The Monster Generation.He’s part of that.And so is everybody he played in his third year of high school. He can’t believe they’re grown up and actual players.But there’s a person who Tooru likes to think is the most important of the Monster Generation.And he raises his glass, head full of clouds but mind set on one thing.
Relationships: Implied Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru - Relationship
Series: the future is strange, but they think it's better [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870168
Kudos: 15





	he's ruling like the great king he is, and he never knew it'd take so long

Tooru is happy.

It’s not a surprise. He’s won, he’s won, he’s won.

_Finally._

The sounds of drunken people yelling and sober people clinking more glasses are all around him, and he can’t tell if they’re getting louder or quieter.

His teammates are _screaming._ It’s no surprise, especially because they’ve won.

They’ve won.

It finally sinks in.

He remembers highschool, where he didn’t think there _was_ a way to win.

He remembers being an itty bitty first year and being crowded by other first year girls outside the gym and being slapped by Iwa-chan. He sees the younger version of himself meeting Ushiwaka in the semi-finals of the Inter High, just outside the gym, and the boy tells him that Shiratorizawa will win.

For their senpais.

They lost in the final round to Shiratorizawa. And even though they’re sad and losing the third years, they’re happy. Iwa-chan and Makki and Mattsun and him are bowing to the third years. They say thank you, they apologize, they cry. The second years are decently sad, too, and it’s because Aoba Johsai lost to Shiratorizawa _last year_ too. They play the Spring High without the third years, and they _dominate_. He remembers crushing Senseki High and a lot of others.

But Shiratorizawa wins.

They’re crushed. They’ve lost _twice in a year_ to one team. Iwa-chan slaps him on the back and tells him it’s okay, but Tooru knows better than to know this is something huge.

He remembers second year being a fever dream. He remembers Coach saying something about more and more practice because Tooru has _talent_ and _potential_. He was told by Iwa-chan that he was going to watch Tobio-chan’s match, but he didn’t want to go.

He didn’t want to see Tobio-chan then.

They, once again, lose to Shiratorizawa in the finals of the Inter High. It’s _terrible_. The third years cried a lot. He remembers seeing Makki and Mattsun sympathize with each other and the first years, but all’s well in the end because the second years raised their grades to stay in until the Spring High.

During the Spring High, they almost lost to Date Tech. But it’s ended in a narrow 2-1 (25-27, 28-26, 34-32) match. Date Tech’s first years are insane.

They lose to Shiratorizawa again, 1-4.

It’s horrifying how much that did to the team. He still remembers apologizing to the third years after they got back to school, biting his tongue and bowing to them with the other second years. 

The third years cried.

In third year, everything’s intense and scary and insane. Karasuno rises from the dumps with a stronger team than Tooru remembered, with Tobio-chan and Shrimpy-chan. Seijoh loses to them in the practice match, but Tooru doesn’t really mind. Karasuno dominate their way through the Inter-High, but they lose to Seijoh in a way that leaves them as puddles on the floor.

His team loses to Shiratorizawa _again_.

He thinks it’s a curse, while Iwa-chan says it’s just a sign they need to be stronger and that Tooru has terrible luck. In the short time between the crushing defeat, Karasuno had gotten even _better_. They have more moves, and the players that switch in have even more surprises.

The Crows crush them one by one.

And eventually he sees their ace run in for a spike tossed by Mr. Refreshing, he realizes that this could be the end.

He can’t imagine it ending like this.

Losing to Tobio-chan’s team, not even making it to Nationals _once_.

But no matter what, if it’s the last game, if it’s the last set and spike, if this decides the match, it will always be Iwa-chan.

So his finger raises towards his best friend and Iwa-chan (his best friend, his ace, his everything) doesn’t get to blink. Tooru swerves his whole body to set it from all the way across the court, outside of the guidelines. It’s shorter than the average toss, but it’s Iwa-chan’s specific toss that they’ve perfected since they were kids.

It hits Iwa-chan’s palm and it slams into the Captain’s arms. He crashes into the chairs and _god_ , does it hurt. It hurts so bad to get up, but he has to and he hurries to do so. He stumbles (stumbles on his _knee_ ) while getting up, but he’s jumping back in an instant.

The ball’s going into Baldy’s arms and it’s sent back up. The Ace receives it, and so does Watari, but it hits the net and is about to fall until Mad-Dog-chan helps it over the net.

Oops.

Tobio-chan goes for a spike but is blocked by Kindaichi, and as they go down, he knows they’re challenging each other.

It oddly hits Mr. Refreshing’s head, but it’s still up in the air. Shrimpy-chan goes for a spike, but three blockers are already up to block him.

Tooru is ready.

If he loses, if he wins, if they just keep _playing_ , it’s all that will ever satisfy him, and he challenges his junior to hit him with everything.

The ball slams onto the floor next to him.

There’s a small moment of silence when, for Tooru, feels like bliss. But the screams ripple through the audience, and the game ends then and there.

His knee aches, his back hurts, and he’s pretty sure he needs the hospital. Still, they stretch afterwards and Tooru fills the promise to treat them to ramen.

He sets his water bottle down and asks for attention. In that moment when Makki tells him to not do it, and the looks on his team tell _everything_ , he starts to feel his eyes water.

“Thank you for the past three years!”

They look at him, but soon they’re sobbing. They’ve worked hard to create the team they have, they’ve tried forever to make it to Nationals. 

Just for their kouhais.

But it all sounds fake and like some sort of TV show now that Tooru thinks about it. All these amazing players within the limited ages of 23-26-ish. It’s insane.

 _The Monster Generation_.

He’s part of that.

And so is everybody he played in his third year of high school. He can’t believe they’re grown up and actual players.

But there’s a person who Tooru likes to think is the most important of the Monster Generation.

And he raises his glass, head full of clouds but mind set on one thing.

“TO IWAIZUMI HAJIME!”

“TO IWAIZUMI HAJIME!” comes the drunken reply before they all take shots.

And now he’s happy. He’s won.

He’s ruling like the Great King he is, and he never knew it’d take so long.

**Author's Note:**

> i love every single captain in haikyuu and will try to make a work for each one, but this is for oikawa tooru


End file.
